Blood-Stained Thread
One morning, as Kazuya Kujo attends to an errand requested by Saint Marguerite Academy's housemistress, he witnesses a crime unfold: a man riding a motorcycle crashing into the roadside wall, with its head slowly parting from its body. Because of this incident, Kazuya is suspected as the one responsible for the crime. However, after discovering a girl located at the top of the tall library of Saint Marguerite Academy, facts about the incident are unraveled. Background Kazuya is asked by Sophie, his dormitory matron, to purchase some ingredients for the day's preparations. She admits to have forgotten some key ingredients for breakfast due to being invited in a dance party, so in fear of being fired for negligence, she pleads to Kazuya. He reluctantly follows, and he finds himself on the road leading to the market. On his way, he stops on an intersection, where a man riding a motorcycle emerges from elsewhere. As the man rides into the intersection, however, he finds out that the man does not stop to turn on any direction; he instead speeds on, crashing to the stone wall on the side of the road. Kazuya then gasps in shock as the man thrown airborne by the high-speed crash loses its head - literally - before landing on the plains on the other side. Kazuya faints to the gruesome sight of a decapitated man, and he wakes up in the school's infirmary, where her teacher Cecile Lafitte is frantic about Kazuya's imminent fate. At first, Kazuya is puzzled as to what happened, but Inspector Grevil de Blois clears things, including the fact that he is charged with murdering a government official. Fortunately, Cecile gives an excuse for Kazuya to evade arrest: visiting one of his classmates, who usually stays inside the library of the school. With a final warning from Grevil about his involvement in the case, he leaves. Profiles 'Persons Involved' *'Kazuya Kujo' - a student from Saint Marguerite Academy, also known as "The Dark Reaper" because of his dark hair and his arrival at spring. He is accused of murder, which can be escalated into an international incident due to the occupation of the victim. *''Unnamed Government Official'' - the victim of the case. Very little information is provided about him, and his involvement in the case is no longer clarified. Progress Under Cecile's request, Kazuya heads to the topmost floor of the library, where he discovers a doll-like girl smoking a pipe while immersed in reading. He finds out that the girl's name is Victorique de Blois, the girl whom he is supposed to meet to give worksheets. Victorique initially gives no interest to Kazuya, but after Kazuya confesses his involvement in a murder case, she agrees to help. After sorting out his witness account, Victorique concludes that the "inspector with a weird hairstyle" might be right in his statement. She also comments that Kazuya is a hopeless romantic, as the boy also includes in his testimony having daydreams about a blond-haired girl (his ideal girl) as he heads to the market. Soon, Grevil arrives on the topmost floor through the only elevator of the library. He brings along a piece of evidence from the scene of the crime: a length of wire. This vital piece of evidence has changed Victorique's claim on who is the culprit. According to Victorique, the perpetrator of the crime is probably female and is young, as both older females and males would resort to more conspicuous crimes. The blood stain on the end of the length of wire also reveals that the culprit might have injured herself when preparing the crime. With the culprit's identity properly described, Victorique orders Grevil to look at nearby hospitals and clinics of a young girl with an injured hand. Conclusion Within that day, the real culprit is apprehended by the police, and it is a girl with long blond hair, as Kazuya has daydreamt about. The motive of the crime and both the identities of the government official and the culprit are kept undisclosed. Meanwhile, Kazuya is cleared on all accounts, and has been visiting Victorique ever since her help in clearing out his name. 'Implications on Future Events' In spite of the speedy resolution of the case, Kazuya is still affected by the case itself. Upon the arrival of a new student in the class, named Avril Bradley, he is shown to express alarm upon discovering the wounded right hand of the transfer student from England. Although Avril turns out to be friendly, Kazuya can't help but turn a cautious eye at a person whom he thinks might be the real culprit to the death of the government official. Category:Case Overview